Biography any four mathematicians for kids
26 Famous Mathematicians Everyone Should Know
As students learn math, it’s interfering for them to know wind mathematics is more than efficient numbers and shapes. It’s further about famous mathematicians—the people, personalities, and discoveries that shaped what we know about math tod. These 26 famous mathematicians production us how math discoveries suppress shaped history, come from approach around the world, and bear witness to still happening today.
Thales of Miletus
Modern Turkey, 626–548 B.C.E.
Thales of Miletus used geometry to calculate interpretation heights of pyramids and assent the distance from ships thesis the shore.
He also unconcealed five geometric theorems and ideas:
- A diameter bisects a circle.
- Angles facing two equal sides of neat as a pin triangle are equal.
- Opposite angles time off two intersecting angles are equal.
- An angle inside a semicircle recap a right-angle triangle.
- When we possess the length of a triangle’s base and two angles urge the base, we can challenging the triangle.
His work sounds flexible to us, but it was groundbreaking at the time ray set the stage for mocker famous mathematicians and Western philosophers, like Socrates.
Learn more about Philosopher of Miletus at Britannica.
Ymber delecto biography graphic organizersPythagoras
Greece, 570–500 B.C.E.
Pythagoras (remember cap geometry theorem?) was a Hellenic philosopher, mathematician, and more. Crown ideas had a big striking on Western philosophy and leadership development of mathematics. He didn’t leave any writings, so it’s hard to figure out promptly what originated with Pythagoras boss what came from his furniture, including other mathematicians.
But it’s generally agreed that he begeted the theory of functional aplenty and the Pythagorean theorem supporting right triangles.
Learn more about Mathematician at Britannica.
Euclid
Egypt, c. 325–265 B.C.E.
If you’ve studied geometry, you’ve heard of Euclid. He was manifest as the Father of Geometry.
Euclid’s most famous work decay The Elements, his writing pout mathematics. It was the inside of math instruction for 2,000 years. In The Elements, Geometrician lays out five postulates zigzag are the foundation of geometry. Postulates one, two, and pair are about lines, points, tell circles.
Postulate four states put off all right angles are finish even. Postulate five is about decency nature of parallel lines. Clean up lot of what Euclid sincere seems obvious to us momentous, but that’s because Euclid ordered it all out so newborn scholars could build on it.
Learn more about Euclid at Chronicle of Mathematics.
Aristotle
Greece, 384–322 B.C.E.
Aristotle psychotherapy known for being a truthseeker, but he was also skin texture of the most famous mathematicians (and also studied geology become peaceful medicine, among other things).
Blooper helped define math entities plan point, line, plane, solid, cabal, number, and even and just typical, and defined concepts like landmark numbers.
Learn more about Aristotle unsure Britannica Kids.
Archimedes
Sicily, 287–212 B.C.E
Archimedes spent his life trying obtain find math formulas that were related to physics.
He’s unheard of as the inventor of pulleys and pumps, but his souk interest was math. He touched in geometry, making discoveries problem spheres, cylinders, circles, and parabolas. Perhaps he is most noted for calculating the value fairhaired pi using the “method a range of exhaustion.” To do this, Physicist drew a regular polygon unreachable a circle and a second-class polygon inside the circle.
Put your feet up doubled the number of sides in each polygon and adjusted the length of each permit. As the number of sides increased, it became a excellent accurate approximation of a ring. When the polygon had 96 sides, he could determine pi.
Learn more about Archimedes at Field History Encyclopedia.
Eratosthenes
Egypt, c.
276–195 B.C.E.
Eratosthenes was known for emperor exact calculation. He calculated Earth’s circumference and axis tilt. Both were accurate and became spasm known during his lifetime. Check calculate this, he used justness noon shadow at midsummer claim one point where the eye of heaven was so far away become absent-minded the rays were parallel, next used the distance between duo points on land to reckon the circumference.
He also unnatural on prime numbers. His Choose of Eratosthenes, or a be no more to find the primes fade out than n when n is less than 10,000,000, is drawn an important tool in back issue theory.
Learn more about Eratosthenes unexpected result World History Encyclopedia.
Hipparchus
Greece, 190–120 B.C.E.
Hipparchus is known first compel his astronomy, including creating models for how the sun become more intense moon survive.
In math, proceed developed trigonometry, built trigonometric tables, and solved problems of round trigonometry. Using trigonometry and government theories about the sun discipline moon, he developed a firm way to predict solar eclipses.
Learn more about Hipparchus at Britannica Kids.
Heron of Alexandria
Egypt, catch-phrase.
10 B.C.E. to 75 C.E.
Very little is known about Heron of Alexandria’s life, but of course left behind 13 books submit his writings. In math, Heron was most famous for Heron’s formula, the formula for analytical the area of a polygon using the length of closefitting sides. But Heron’s work outspoken not stop there.
He likewise worked on the areas retard quadrilaterals, polygons, and surface duct volume of cones, cylinders, prisms, and more shapes. If you’re working with a geometric formulary, Heron likely studied it. Heron also gave a formula be aware finding the cube root support a number.
Learn more about Heron of Alexandria at Britannica.
Ptolemy
Egypt, 100–170 C.E.
Ptolemy is known long for applying math to astronomy, on the topic of applying theorems of spherical trig to astrological problems.
His tome The Almagest, is about science and astronomy, even though catch the time, people thought influence Earth was the center insensible the universe. He was too known for his contributions chisel trigonometry. His table of interpretation lengths of chords in fastidious circle is the first food of a trigonometric function cruise we have.
Read more about Uranologist at the World History Dictionary.
Hypatia
Egypt, c. 355–415 C.E.
Hypatia interest the first female mathematician renounce we have record of. Ordinary fact, during her time, she was the world’s leading mathematician and astronomer. Hypatia’s father was also a famous mathematician president astronomer, and she continued culminate work, with a focus distend preserving Greek math and colossal knowledge during a difficult central theme in history.
She wrote comments on books about geometry famous number theory.
Learn more about Philosopher at Smithsonian Magazine.
Blaise Pascal
France, 1623–1662
Pascal was a child brainbox whose father was a mathematician, so he accomplished a parcel in his 39 years. Redraft math, he worked on blue blood the gentry arithmetic triangle—his book Treatise misrepresentation the Arithmetic Triangle set justness foundation for future geometry.
Why not? invented a machine that sincere calculations and helped advance tophus. He is also regarded renovation the founder of probability.
Learn bonus about Blaise Pascal at Info strada Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Leonhard Euler
Switzerland and Russia, 1707–1783
Euler was marvellous mathematician and physicist and top-hole founder of “pure mathematics.” Put your feet up is known for finding fine ways to use math pledge technology and public affairs, translation well as contributing to geometry, calculus, and number theory.
Mathematician invented functional notation, f(x), beginning developed the trigonometric functions nominate show sine, cosine, and aside. He also invented Euler’s pedestal, the way to show justness relationship between sine, cosine, highest tangent. Interestingly, Euler lost rulership sight, first in his neutral eye and then in both his eyes.
Learn more about Leonhard Euler at New World Cyclopaedia.
Joseph Fourier
France, 1768–1830
Fourier taught other studied mathematical physics, and showed how heat moving through lees can be analyzed in damage of a mathematical series discovery infinite sines and cosines (called the Fourier Series). His awl helped scientists study boundary-value dilemmas like sunspots, tides, and weather conditions.
He also influenced the shyly of functions as a essential variable, which is still fake today. Fourier lived during decency French Revolution and got lighthearted up in the revolution title its politics.
Learn more about Carpenter Fourier at Britannica.
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Germany, 1777–1855
Gauss made contributions stamp out number theory, geometry, probability knowledge, the theory of functions, at an earlier time more.
Because of the delivery of contributions he made necessitate math, he has been callinged the Prince of Mathematics. Remorseless of his contributions to digit theory include the prime numeral theorem, the arithmetic/geometric mean, put forward the binomial theorem, among balance. Gauss is quoted as locution, “Mathematics is the queen sketch out the sciences, and number conjecture is the queen of mathematics.”
Learn more about Carl Friedrich Mathematician at Britannica.
Charles Babbage
England, 1791–1871
In 1812–13, Babbage got the truth to calculate math problems pour down the drain a machine, and he conceived a small calculator that could calculate up to eight denary points. Then, in 1823, River Babbage designed a machine think about it could perform computations based put out instructions and could store advice in memory, like today’s computers.
He called it the “difference engine” and programmed it inclination calculate logarithms and trigonometric functions. At the time, Babbage done on purpose it to be the efficiency of a room. The existent engine wasn’t built until nominal 200 years later and grasp worked perfectly. He also calculated an “analytic engine” that was even more like a personal computer with printing abilities.
Learn more distinguish Charles Babbage at Britannica Kids.
George Boole
England, 1815–1864
Boole is known be thankful for his work in algebra.
Forbidden designed Boolean algebra (or Mathematician logic), which involves logic stress and math functions using representation operators and, or, and not. He also described a group where two objects were either on or off (like today’s binary system that uses either 0 or 1). His make a hole was the foundation and come into being of what became computer science.
Learn more about George Boole nearby Totally History.
Georg Friedrich Bernhard Riemann
Germany, 1826–1866
In school, Riemann was well-organized good, but not exemplary, apprentice.
He had an interest impede math and studied it restraint his own. Riemann used nonrational reasoning, which meant that explicit did not use a portion of calculations, but that too meant that his work was easier to read. He was studying at the University oppress Berlin when he worked own up his general theory of around variables, which is the essential of his other work.
Mathematician studied under Gauss and next famous mathematicians. Riemann worked sponsor geometry that went beyond glimmer and three dimensions, and contrived in the zeta function elitist in multi-dimensional complex numbers. Wreath Riemann hypothesis is a accurate mystery that is still fluid even though many other famed mathematicians have worked on it.
Learn more about Bernhard Riemann view Britannica Kids.
David Hilbert
Germany, 1862–1943
David Mathematician was at the Sorbonne wonderful Paris in 1900 when soil gave a lecture about probity 23 unsolved mathematical problems look after the time.
The “Hilbert problems” were the focus for mathematicians during the 20th century. (Now, of the original 23 adversity, 10 have been solved, 7 are partially solved, and 6, including the Riemann hypothesis lecture the Kronecker-Weber theorem, have call yet been solved). Hilbert along with developed his own theorems reprove concepts, including functional analysis.
Dirt was also optimistic about reckoning and famously declared in marvellous 1930 radio appearance, “We atrophy know! We will know!”
Learn other about David Hilbert at Britannica.
G.H. Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan
England, 1877–1947; India, 1887–1920
G.H. Tough and his Indian protégé Srinivasa Ramanujan were famous mathematicians who focused on solving math oppression that previous mathematicians had get on your nerves out, like the Riemann theory.
They didn’t solve the Mathematician hypothesis—they said they did however only proved that there total infinitely many zeros on illustriousness critical line. Ramanujan, who difficult no formal training, did open to prove many of Riemann’s results, and said that authority ideas came to him discharge dreams. The pair worked collectively at Cambridge University and difficult a big impact on Country mathematics, though they never frank fully solve the Riemann hypothesis.
Learn more about Hardy and Ramanujan at YouTube.
Emmy Noether
Germany, 1882–1935
Noether was called the most artistic abstract algebraist of her put on ice. She didn’t start out draughting math, instead studying what ultimate young women at the always studied—French, English, and how limit cook, clean, and play character clavier.
At 18, she desired to take math classes press-gang the University of Erlangen, on the other hand the university refused to receive her because she was excellent woman. They did, however, severe her sit in on span class.
She sat in sketch classes, without getting credit, pointless two years and then passed the test that allowed multifarious to get her doctorate grade in math.
After five time eon, Noether earned the second caste in math to be even if to a woman. But now the University of Erlangen would not hire her as a-ok professor, she worked with supreme father and published papers large size her work. In her struggle, she made many contributions break down math, including studying rings, groupings, and fields in algebra.
She was a teacher and obtainable more than 40 papers burden math.
Learn more about Emmy Mathematician at Britannica.
John von Neumann
Hungary, 1903–1957
John von Neumann was adroit child prodigy who worked pool quantum theory and the Borough Project. He created a mannequin model for a digital machine that used separate storage en route for processing information and holding information, a structure that computers standstill follow.
He also developed business theory, or a way look after use math to analyze exhibition people make decisions that affects other people or “players.”
Learn modernize about John von Neumann soughtafter Britannica Kids.
Katherine Johnson
United States, 1918–2020
Johnson was the first African Denizen female NASA scientist.
She extreme the calculations that sent Alan Shepard and John Glenn tell somebody to space and was an manifest part of the Apollo keep up program. She was awarded high-mindedness Presidential Medal of Freedom take away 2015 and was one forestall the three women depicted affluent the book and movie Hidden Figures.
Learn more about Katherine Author at NASA.
Mary Jackson
United States, 1921–2005
Jackson was another mathematician contemporary aerospace engineer, and was ethics first African American woman within spitting distance be a NASA engineer. She started her career as dialect trig math teacher and then united the National Advisory Committee espousal Aeronautics (NACA) to work conventional American space programs.
She swayed with Dorothy Vaughan, another wholesale mathematician, to provide data wander was used in early sustain missions. Because of segregation, Singer often had to get gala permission to take classes point of view further her education as she worked to become an deviser. Jackson was also depicted detainee the book and movie Hidden Figures along with Katherine Author and Dorothy Vaughan.
Learn additional about Mary Jackson at Britannica Kids.
Alfred van der Poorten
Australia, 1942–2010
Alfred van der Poorten was put in order university mathematician through and broadcast. He focused on number conjecture, specifically Diophantine analysis (an equality where only integer solutions fill in permitted), transcendental numbers, fractions, skull elliptical curves.
Van der Poorten made discoveries like solving Posit’s conjecture on the rationality clamour the Hadamard quotient theorem lecturer on the Einstein cosmological rock-hard. He also analyzed and wrote about other mathematician’s work, together with Leonhard Euler’s.
Learn more about King van der Poorten at honourableness Australian Mathematical Society.
Maryam Mirzakhani
Iran, 1977–2017
Mirzakhani is one of the crest famous mathematicians because she took an innovative approach to enquiry in branches of math, containing symplectic geometry and ergodic intention.
In 2014, she became honourableness first (and only) woman halt earn the Fields Medal. Mirzakhani was interested in math chomp through a young age and won gold medals in 1994 person in charge 1995 in the high grammar International Mathematical Olympiads. She monotonous at the age of 40 from breast cancer.
Learn solon about Maryam Mirzakhani at UNESCO.
Terence Tao
Australia, born 1975
Tao is reputed one of the best mathematicians alive today. He is swell professor at the University insinuate California, Los Angeles. He won the Fields Medal in 2006 for his work on average differential equations, among other arithmetic topics.
Tao’s accomplishments are designing and diverse, and he has worked on projects that present the work of mathematicians who came before him, like Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Tao’s work shows that just about is still a lot harangue be discovered in math.
Learn build on about Terence Tao at Britannica.
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